


Family bounds

by oniwl



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Family Secrets, First story, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, i guess?, spoilers in the tags, temporary title
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27216595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oniwl/pseuds/oniwl
Summary: Ever since he awoke in that field, completely devoid of any memories, Robin had always wanted to learn more about his past. Unfortunately, meeting his father and learning about his... relations to grima, that desire had diminished, and after founding his own family, he had nearly forgot about it. That is, until one day, when an seemingly unimportant event occurs and a mysterious letter is given to him. The truth hidden for years might be more than he could have imagined, or expected.edit: for the people who already read it, I forgot a part of the first chapter. Mistake corrected! The title of the first chapter was changed, too.
Relationships: Chrom/Tiamo | Cordelia, Liz | Lissa/Lon'qu, My Unit | Reflet | Robin/Olivia
Kudos: 4





	1. A strange day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Thank you for deciding to read this story! A little warning: I'm not an English speaker, so there will be mistakes here and there. I hope it wont bother you too much. I apologize for any eye injury i might cause!
> 
> Why am i writing this story? Well, I've benn lookiing for a special kind of story, but despite my efforts, was unable to find a single one! I can't be the first guy to have this idea, right? Since I coulnd find anything, i just thought: "Fine. I'll do it myself." and this story was born... What am i talking about? well, you'll discover it when you'ill read it...
> 
> to avoid to much spoilers, I'll update the tags at the same time as the chapters, so they may change. The title might also change, since it doen't quite describe the story well in my opinion, but i wasn't able to come up with something better. anyway, good reading!

The day everything began seened like any other day during a time of peace: sunny, warm, and calm. Robin was headed to the training ground where he would find Chrom, according to their friend, Sumia. 

Being the Exalt’s Military advisor came with a few duties that he was unable to accomplish after his 2 years long disappearance after slaying the Fell Dragon Grima. The amount of paperwork had only piled up, and, while his daughter Morgan did a good job overall to fill in his place during that time, She was still in training and made some mistakes. Ever since he came back a few months ago, he had spent most of his time between his family and his work, despite Chrom’s and everyone else’s insistence that he should rest. Why though? he was late enough as it was! Anyway, he had found a discrepancy between the number of weapons bought and the number of weapons they had, and came looking for Chrom to discuss this pressing matter. Unable to find him in his quarters (which was no surprise, really) Robin had fortunately ran into Sumia (or she tripped and fell in front of him, to be more accurate) who told him she last saw Chrom heading to the training ground. 

And here he was, not a single soul to be seen, which was rather peculiar during that time of the day, a few hours after breakfast. Robin looked around the area, his crimson eyes looking for any potential clues about Chrom’s whereabouts, when they landed on a shining object.  
After inching closer, The white-haired man was surprised to find the legendary Falchion, The Dragon-slaying sword. What was it doing here, alone, resting against a wall? Chrom never left the sword out of his sight. Robin couldn’t even remember if he had ever seen his friend without it. 

The fact that Falchion was laying there, alone, was worrying. But Robin knew that it was unlikely that he was attacked or kidnapped. Chrom was though, and they were in the middle of Ylisstol, with Shepherd roaming all around. No way some could have sneaked in and fought Chrom, especially since the security was improved after the assasination attempt on Emmeryn all those years ago. Chrom was probably in a hurry and left Falchion here, thinking no one would try and steal it. 

One thing for sure, Is that Chrom was bound to take it back at some point, so if Robin waited here, he was sure to meet him. As a bonus, he would watch over the sword, just to be safe. Yeah, that was a good plan. 

He just hoped that Chrom wouldn’t take too long… 

He was suddenly extirpated from his thoughts by a loud metallic crash next to him. It seemed that he accidently pushed Falchion and the latter fell to the ground. Robin picked it up and took his time to carefully observe the sword. It was actually the first time he saw the blade this close, aside from the time Lucina tried to… well, he’d rather not think about it. The way the sword reflected the light indicated that it has been polished recently. Or maybe legendary blades never take the dust? 

Robin heard that the blade itself was immune to time, not the handle, thus explaining why the description of the famous sword varied through time. But as the young tactician looked over the golden hilt, with a tear-shaped hole in the middle, he could not find any damage, nor cracks. Whoever made the current handle must've been incredibly skilled.  
While the sword falling to the ground made a loud sound, no footsteps could be heard. A little voice in his head whispered: what if he practiced with it a little? After all, you don’t get to wield sacred swords everyday! 

But that’s the problem, his more logical side provided, it was possible that wielding such blades was forbidden. Robin never heard of such laws, but he guessed that using Falchion must be a pretty big deal. And it was also Chrom’s sword, Robin wouldn't be surprised if the blue-haired King let him borrow it if he asked. Why do it in secret without his permission? 

one the other hand… if it happens to be forbidden… there’s no one to see… and a single swing won’t hurt anybody, right? Just one, on a nearby dummy… then he places it back where he found it. As if nothing happened! perfect plan! 

Well, the plan was far from perfect, but the tactician’s mind was strangely focused on the sword. 

Taking the holy blade firmly in his right hand, he turned to a nearby dummy. Taking his usual fighting stance, he gave a single strike to the dummy, cutting it clean in half. “Well… another thing to add on the “things to replace” list” he thought. Then he did a few motions with the sword, trying to imagine how Chrom felt during battle... 

“Enjoying yourself, i see?” came a voice from the training ground entrance, nearly giving the tactician a heart attack. He quickly turned around, sword at the ready, toward the source of the voice, who turned out to be the blade’s owner, Chrom.

Robin was at first filled with relief before looking at the sword directed at the exalt and being overcome by fear and embarrassment. 

“C-Chrom! How Long were you there?! I-I… I can explain!” said the young man while giving the sword back to its rightful owner, bowing, looking at the ground like a child caught red handed. The blue haired man merely laughed as he put the blade back in its sheath. 

“firsl, I just arrived, and second, There is no need to. you seemed quite comfortable with it.” he commented.

“W-well…” stuttered Robin “It was sitting there, then it fell and i picked it up… I don’t know what came over me… I’m sorry to have used such a sacred blade without you consent!” said the young man, still ashamed.

“There is no problem. I know that you would be careful with it. Next time you want to try out Falchion, you just have to ask.” reassured the lord, putting a hand on his best friend shoulder.

“I figured as much… where were you, anyway? It’s highly unusual for you to leave Falchion alone like that.”

“Oh. I was just using the bathroom. Nothing extraordinary. Guess i forgot Falchion here.” said the lord without much thought.

“the bathroom? You just… Forgot about it?!” _“of course that's what it was… That’s Chrom we’re talking about…”_

“Y-Yes, like I said, nothing extraordinary. Can we change the subject, please? that reminds me, why did you come here?” pleaded the king, beginning to feel embarrassed himself.

“Why did I…? Oh! That’s right! I was actually looking for you! Sumia told me you were there, so when i saw Falchion, i waited here knowing you would stop by to take it back.”explained the tactician.

They spent a few hours talking about the issue robin found, before parting way, not without chrom telling robin for the hundredth time to take a break, Advise that Robin immediately forgot. Once the white-haired man was out of sight, Chrom turned around to resume his training, only to find the dummy he was practicing on cut in half. How strange. It was fine when he left, and nobody stopped by when he was talking to Robin… Was it his doing? But he was using Falchion, he shouldn’t have been able to…

 _“Someone probably cut it between the moment he left and the moment Robin arrived. Still, they must have had a very sharp blade if they managed to cut it so cleanly…”_ thought the lord before continuing his routine on another dummy.

during the night...

_In the middle of winter, most people were prone to catch diseases, often lethal. A particularly strong one had swept over the Halidom this year, sparing no one. Robin and his Mother were no exception. While he had recovered quickly, she was still struggling against the illness, fighting between her fever and her coughing. Robin sincerely believed she would make it out alive, but she wasn’t so optimistic. Were she a few years younger, she would have brushed it off like it was nothing, but now, Time has taken its toll on her, and she knew that she was losing the battle. Robin knew too, deep down, but refused to accept it, doing his best to take care of her, in hope that she might recover, after all._

_But Robin was at his wits end. He did everything in his power to help her. They lived in an isolated house, near the base of a mountain. It takes at least half an hour to go to the closest village from here. For unknown reasons, his parents never wanted him to interact much with other people, even limiting themselves to their own interactions. Because of that , he didn’t know the people very well there, and they were not really willing to help. When his mother’s illness became serious, he went to fetch the village’s doctor, but it didn’t take long for Robin to understand that this so-called doctor was completely devoid of any medical knowledge, believing that sacrificing chickens was the answer to everything. How could the inhabitants trust him with their lives?!  
He took it upon himself to find a cure that could help her and the others. He spent countless hours studying, reading every book about cures and plants he could find, but to no avail. Here he was now, placing a wet towel on her forehead to cool down her fever, worse than ever. She was sweating bullets, had trouble eating and drinking, and even speaking. She looked like she was twenty years older than she really was. Seeing her like that was unbearable._

_“Robin…” she mustered. “Don’t talk, please. You must preserve what little energy you have.” he answered._

_“I’m sorry… but we both know i won’t make it.”_

_“Do not say that!” said the young man desperately. “you can do it! I know you can!”_

_“Robin… Sometimes, no matter how many plans you have, or how well crafted they are, some things simply cannot be avoided. It is important to persevere and to never give up, but it is equally important to know when to stop.” she replied, a soft smile on her lips._

_“But…! I don’t want to lose you! Not so soon after Father!” he said, remembering his father’s sudden death two years ago, succumbing to a heart attack._

_“Shh… I’m sorry to leave you all alone so soon… But I know… I know how strong you are. I have faith that you will be able to fare well on your own. I raised you myself, after all.” she said chuckling._

_Her face became suddenly serious, eyebrows frowning. “Robin. Listen well. I have something extremely important to tell you.” The young man got closer to her, solely focused on her voice,_

_“This is something that your father and i hid from you for so long… I had hoped to tell you in other circumstances, but there is no time left… I hope you will forgive me, but…”_

_“You are not my child.”_

“Aah!” gasped Robin, sitting up so suddenly that he nearly fell off his bed, Eyes darting everywhere in the dark room, his breath short. “W-what was that?! It felt too real to be a dream… was it… a memory? but…”

“R-Robin? Are you alright?” came a worried voice next to him, along with a hand on his shoulder. “Did… did you have a dream?”

“Oh! Excuse me, Olivia. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” he apologized, taking his pink-haired wife’s hand on his shoulder on his own. “It was just a dream, nothing important. You should go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure…? you look troubled… we can talk about it if you want…”

“No” answered Robin a little too fast. “You need to sleep. It’s not good for you or the baby to be awake this late.” he said, his other hand resting on Olivia’s swelling stomach. She was four month pregnant now, and he didn’t want to risk anything happening to her or their son.

“I’m glad you care about us… but I care about you too. If you have a problem, i’m want to help you…” she says before being interrupted by a yawn.

Robin smiled as he kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry for worrying you. we’ll talk in the morning, alright? For now, let us sleep.”

“...okay. Good night.” she says, giving robin a small smile and going back to sleep.

Robin, meanwhile, thought about the day and the dream he just had. First he embarrass himself in front of Chrom, and now that weird dream… _“what a really strange day…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! It is a small start,nothing really exciting but the real stuff will start soon! I may change things here and there depending of the rest of the story, but don't worry! if that happens i'll warn you all. 
> 
> with that said, thank you once again!


	2. a distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out a little different than i planned, but i like it. Also, I warn you. the software I used to correct most of my mistakes gave up on me for some reason, so there might be a lot of them. I've done my best to spot and correct them, but I've probably missed some of them.

When the Sun finally rose, Robin was already wide awake. After putting on his precious dark coat, he climbed down the stairs and went to the kitchen. And just as he was abou to open one of the cupboard, he stopped himself. He didn’t know why, but some kind of sixth sense was telling to not open it. He carefully analysed the cupboard until he noticed a string sticking out. He cut it and opened the cupboard, only to find an elaborate trap that was supposed to launch water on his face.

“Oh man. You figured it out!” came a disappointed voice behind him. Robin turned around only to find his pouting daughter, already up and running. “I was so sure it would work this time! Do you know how long it took me to set it up?”

Robin merely laughed as he ruffled her pink hair. “Nice try kiddo. You nearly got me. Hide the string better next time. Actually, i’m impressed you managed to set this up without anyone noticing. You didn’t wake up in the middle of the night just for that, didn’t you?”  
“hum… maybe? A tactictian must be ready at any time of the day, OR night! And fortunately, i have prepared a second string! Mother won’t see anything coming!”

“while i admire your dedication, are you sure…?” said Robin worried for his wife.

“Don’t worry! It’s just water anyway! Nothing bad can happen!” claimed Morgan, putting on her best smile.

Smile which was Robin’s greatest weakness. He couldn’t refuse anything to her when she did that, and she knew it. Once the trap was fixed, they started to eat their breakfast and discussed while waiting for the third member of the family.

When Olivia finally came down, Morgan observed her intensely as she made her way to the cupboard, eagerly waiting the moment she would be splashed with water.

...Which Did not happen, as, just like Robin, Olivia spotted that cursed string and cut it, before opening the cupboard safely.

“What?! You too?! Am I loosing my edge?!” Said the young girl, her head hitting the table, her disapointment incommensurable and her day ruined.

“You are not. Maybe i just got better at spotting your traps?” tried to reassure her Mother, who was sitting next to her, as she patted her daughter’s back.

“wait!” she suddenly exclamed, rapidly straighening her back. “that means… I’ll have to persevere and improve! yeah! Tacticians learn from their mistakes, do not repeat them, and do not use strings!”

They laughed for a little while before Olivia turned to her husband, a serious expression on her face. “Robin… about last night…”

“oh, right. I did say I would tell you this morning.”

“Did something happened?” asked Morgan, curiosity and concern etched in her voice.

Robin sighed, and then proceded to recount what happened in his dream, from his mother’s sickness to his multiple attemps to save her.

“Was that… a memory?” asked Morgan once her Father had finished his story. “Does that means you’re finally getting your memory back?”

“That’s wonderful! even thought it was not a happy one, One memory recovered is better than nothing.” said an happy Olivia.

enthusiasm that Robin was not sharing. “Was it really a memory? Some things don’t add up, like me mentioning my deceased father, while… well, you know what happened to him” he said, trying to bury the image of validar in his mind as deep as he could.

“Hmm… maybe she remarried with someone else and that someone was the person you called Father?” supplied Morgan.

“Perhaps…” said robin without much energy. “Would you look at that!” he interrupted, looking at the Sun through the window. “I’m going to be late for the morning meeting! See you later!

he kissed both womans forehead then stormed out of their house before any of the girls could say anything else. 

Fortunately fo him, He arrived just in time for the morning meeting. Said meetings were usually incredibly boring, but today, Robin was a little too focused on his memory that Chrom had to call him out of his daydreams several times. Once the meeting was finished, Robin went to his office, followed by an irritated Chrom.

“What was that?” he asked, once the doors were closed. “you were completely unfocused today. I understand how boring those meetings can be, but that's highly unusual coming from you. Is something the matter?” he added, His anger slowly remplaced by concern for his best friend.

Robin wondered if he should tell Chrom or not. he eventually told him what happened that night and the discution he had with his family this morning.

“You’re recovering your memories?! but that’s…! that’s wonderful, Robin!” Said the Exalt enthusiastically, gripping the white-haired tactictian by both his shoulders.

“That’s exaclty what Olivia said but… Something is bothering me…And i don’t really know what...” replied Robin with a sad expression, taking Chrom’s hands off of him.

“that… is a problem. Maybe you don’t fully understand it because you lack context?” supplied the blue-haired lord. “Maybe Miriel can help you recover more of your memories?”

“that’s… I don’t have any grugde against her or anything but… I think i can do it on my own.” 

“Robin. Please stop trying to do everything alone! Me and the Shepherd are here for you. we’re a team.” insisted Chrom, feeling his fustration increasing.

“I know that. I just don’t want to bother anyone. My amnesia… is my business. Now, can you leave so i can start working, please?”

Chrom’s eyes widened.”You…! You’re not bothering anyone. I... We just want to help.”

“Listen, I-” Started Robin but Chrom interrupted him, letting his anger accumulated over the months speaks.

“No, YOU listen. Ever since your return, you have done nothing but bury yourself in your work. While I’m thankful for your dedication to Ylisse and its citizens, I cannot ignore the issue any longer. You have been negleting your health and your family!”

“wha… I did not…!” Protested Robin, but Chrom was not finished.

“When was the last time you spent some time with Olivia or Morgan? Look at you! I may feel fine, but you look ready to collapse!”

Was he really looking that way? Robin thought. He hadn’t looked in a mirror for quite some time now…. it is true that he has been working a lot… and that he didn’t spent enough time with his family… but he had a duty! Sure, he might have pushed himself lately, but it was a necessity. He made a promise, after all.

“You don’t understand! I’m doing this for everyone! I have to make sure that their future is truly a bright one!”

Chrom was suddenly hit by a revelation. “Future…? Is that what it is about? You still feel responsible for Grima’s actions in Lucina’s Future?”

“I…”

Chrim sighed. He put his hand firmly on Robin's shoulders and locked his eyes on his.

“We’ve already been over this. You are not Grima. You are not responsible for his actions.”

“My mere existence brought ruin upon the world. How can you say I’m not responsible? You cannot deny that a share some of the blame. It is my responsability to make that future without grima the best that can be! For Lucina! Morgan and...Inigo…” Robin was unable to continue,his guilt and shame spiing out of him in the form of sobs.

“Robin…” said the Exalt softly. Taking the tactitian into a hug, he said: “I’m sorry. I should’ve noticed sooner how guilty you felt… If you really want to continue working, then… let’s make a deal. I’ll let you work as much as you want, but you’ll have take care of yourself. Spend some time with your family and friends. Find something to distract yourself… and don’t forget, if you need to talk to someone…”

“...you are here. That’s the third time today. Dear Naga, I’m pathetic, aren’t I?” Said Robin, pulling away from the lord and drying his tears on his coat.

“Not at all. You can cry all you want. Just… stop bottling all of your feelings inside.”

“...alright. I’ll… do my best. And your deal… I accept it.”

“Wonderful!” said the Lord, smiling “this way, everyone will be happy.”

“...you might want to change your clothes, tho.” said Robin, smirking, looking at a wet spot on Chrom’s chest formed by his tears.

“What are you… oh. That’s okay. It will dry eventually.”

“But what people will think if they saw it? Colrdelia might not like it…”

“I’ll just say I had trouble drinking.”

“Trouble drinking? what kind of excuse is that? You sound like an alcoholic!”

they both laughed for awhile. Robin then thanked Chrom for his… speech and promised to hold his end of the bargain. Chrom thanked him then apologized for letting his anger flowing,before exiting the room.

Sitting at his desk, Robin was already thinking about how he could… “distract” himself, as Chrom put it. Spending some time with olivia and morgan seemed like a good start. Maybe hanging out with the others Shepherd, or looking out for…

No… that last one would be a waste of time, as much as he hated it… No one knew where Inigo went, or when he’ll come back... IF he came back.

After Grima’s defeat, Some of the Future children, like Morgan or laurent, decided to stay with their parents, while others, like lucina, decided to distance themselves to let the place to their present counterparts and now travelled around the world. They didn’t completely cut all ties, as the future children still communicated between themselves. However, there were a few exceptions to that. His son Inigo, along with lissa's on Owain and Chrom’s second daughter Severa, had dissapeared without a trace. Not a single clue on there whereabouts, and even the others children were unable to contact them. Everyone has been worried about them ever since, waiting for the day they would come back home.

Everyone at home was worried about Inigo, but no one talked about it. they all feared the worst, and thus avoided the subject.

Robin sighed and pushed this thoughts in the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to find something to distract himself…

It seemed that Naga had heard his prayers, because the moment he thought about distractions, someone came knocking at the door. Robin sat up and opened the door, revealing Lady Emmeryn herself, much to Robin surprise.

Several years ago, She was the Exalt and was kidnapped by Plegia, a neighboring country. There, she was publicly executed, or rather, she throw herself over the perch’s edge, falling to her death during a rescuring mission under his command. His first failure. Something he’d never forgot.  
Everyone was convinced she was dead, until the day they found her in a village, her memory completely empty, like his. That was during his… Abscence. At first, the counsil asked to every doctor of the halidom to help her recover her memory. It didn’t work as well as they wanted, so they decided to let her live in the castle, hoping that the familiar place might bring back some memories.

Robin briefly wondered if the chicken-loving doctor from his village was among the ones called. If it was the case, it was no wonder it didn’t work.

“Oh! Hello, Lady Emmeryn. How can I help you?” asked the curious man.

If something didn’t change, it was Lady Emmeryn calm attitude. Ever the soothing one, her soft smile and delicate voice alone can shut up the most stubborn nobleman.

“Hello to you as well, Sir Robin.” She said. Then, she extended her hand to him, holding a letter. “I came here to give you this. I believe it is for you.”

Thanking Emmeryn, Robin took the letter and examined it. His name was written on one side. “To Robin”.


End file.
